Rickie Rubio Basketball player Date of Birth: 21.10.1990 Country: Spain

Ricky Rubio: The Basketball Prodigy

Ricky Rubio, a basketball player from Spain, is a product of the youth team of the Badalona club, "Joventut". He has been playing in the main team since the age of 15. Experts refer to him as a "basketball prodigy". Rubio's basketball skills far exceed his age. The recipe for his success lies in the combination of physical abilities and intellectual capabilities, along with a stable mentality and tolerance towards the temptations of adult life. Despite being only 192 cm tall and lacking exceptional physical strength, Rubio's long arms and quick legs give him an advantage. His explosive speed, excellent game reading, interception focus, composure, audacity, and endurance are the defining traits of his playing style. In the regular season of the 2006/2007 Euroleague, Rubio led in steals, averaging 3.5 per 18 minutes of playing time. He also ranked third in assists, only behind Pablo Prigioni and superstar Theodoros Papaloukas. In the same season, Rubio became the leader in steals in the Spanish championship. Unlike other young talents who focus solely on offense, Rubio is versatile and diligently works on both offense and defense. Sani Becirovic, an attacking defender for "Efes Pilsen", comments on Rubio's game: "You can definitely talk about his great potential. The only thing that surprises me is how well he plays in defense. He's not like other young talents, not like how I was in my youth – always looking for ways to score. He strives to do his best for the team. You can be sure that one day he will become the best in Europe in his position." Rubio's rapid professional growth is based on his excellent teachability and quick adaptation to new game schemes. Elmer Bennett, Rubio's teammate, recalls: "When he started training with us at the age of fourteen, he didn't care about the intense attention focused on him. He remains the same throughout the entire game, in any situation. I have never seen him exhausted on the court. He approaches the game as just a game and is not affected by pressure. He knows how to break the press, and he just keeps playing." Rubio perfectly fits into the aggressive and high-speed "Joventut" team. His debut in the Euroleague took place in an away game against "Panathinaikos". Just after entering the game from the bench, he twice dropped Dimitris Diamantidis, the holder of the "best defender" title, to the floor. A minute later, when the Greek player passed the ball behind his back, Rubio appeared out of nowhere and stole the ball, passing it to the opposite sideline. This was the first sign that allowed all of Europe to talk about his game, rather than his age. Later, in a home game against "Panathinaikos", Rubio made 7 steals and 7 assists in 26 minutes. The 2007/2008 season was also successful for Ricky Rubio, as he won the ULEB Cup with "Joventut". His personal statistics can also be proud of – in almost 21 minutes of playing time, Rubio averaged 7.6 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.4 steals. The young Spaniard showcased exceptional basketball skills in a game against "Turk Telekom", scoring a double-double of 29 points and 10 assists. In the same year, Ricky Rubio was awarded the FIBA Europe Young Player of the Year, winning the vote among specialists and fans. In 2006, he won a gold medal at the U-16 European Championship. The tournament was unforgettable, as Rubio made two triple-doubles and one quadruple-double along the way! In the final against the Russian national team (110-106 victory for Spain in two overtimes), Rubio scored 51 points, made 24 rebounds, 12 assists, and 7 steals. He even tied the score at the end of regular time with a three-pointer from the center of the court! In 2007, at the U-18 European Championship, Rubio played brilliantly for the Spanish national team, which finished in fifth place. He averaged 19.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. In 2008, he was included in the Spanish Olympic team. At the Beijing Olympics, Rubio won the silver medal with the Spanish national team, losing to the USA team in the final with a score of 118-107. He also set a personal record as the youngest player to ever play in the final of a basketball Olympic tournament. In November 2008, Ricky Rubio was awarded the Future Champion 2008 prize, given to the most promising Spanish athletes. The jury, composed of well-known figures in the sports industry, including journalists and representatives of various federations, evaluated the potential, technical equipment, winning spirit, psychological resilience, respect for fair play principles, and positive social impact of the candidates. Rubio's long-term contract (until 2011) with "Joventut" has some interesting nuances: he is the lowest-paid player on the team, and if he moves to the NBA, the penalty amount would be 6 million euros, which does not satisfy him. Rubio wants to reduce this amount, and the Badalona club is willing to make concessions on the condition of extending the contract for three more seasons without the possibility of transferring to any European club. One special provision in the contract was a ban on interviews until the age of 18, protecting the young player from early "star syndrome". From 2005 to 2009, Rubio played for "Joventut" in Badalona, Spain, and since 2009, he has been playing for "Barcelona". He is a ULEB Cup winner (2007/08) and a European champion among cadets (U-16) (2006).